- How Long Should I Rest Between Sets?- What Should My Warm Up Sets Look Like?- What Would You Add To CrossFit, If Anything?

How Long Should I Rest Between Sets?

For warm up sets, rest only as long as it takes you to add more weight to the bar.

For working sets, it’s a little more complicated…

After 3 minutes, about 80% of your muscles ATP has been restored. After 5 minutes, about 95%After 8 minutes, 100% is back in the mixer.

I'll try to make this a tad more practical...

Let’s assume you’re squatting 3 sets of 5 reps. You’ve linearly progressed for quite a while and now it’s heavy as balls. You’re going to want to rest 8 minutes. These are large muscles, it’s 5 reps and not 1, and it’s a heavy load… Rest 8 minutes. Stay warm, obvs, but rest…

Let’s assume you’re doing a strict press for 1 rep. Smaller muscles, fewer reps, and a lighter load [compared to the squat]. 8 minutes seems a tad excessive in this scenario. How excessive will depend on the individual - things like muscle fibre type, and training age / experience… Go by feel.

Let’s assume you’re bodybuilding… In that case you probably want lighter weights and much less rest because you want that sick pump. Since no bodybuilders will be reading this, I’ll move on…

It’s useful to know the scientific answer, but use some common sense too… As s*** gets heavier, you need to rest longer…

What Should My Warm Up Sets Look Like?

If you’re going to squat 140kg for 3x5, it makes no f***ing sense whatsoever to do a set of 5 at 137.5 before your working sets…

Alright, so warm ups are to prepare you for training, both muscular and neuromuscular. They also depend on numerous other factors, things like training age, the temperature of the room, your actual age and condition, etc…

After a 3-5 minute general warm up, move straight to the EMPTY barbell to prepare the movement pattern. Do the FULL range of motion for as many sets as necessary. This might be 1 set, or it might be as many as 5 for old, cold, injured or “very stiff” athletes.

Increase the weight in even increments for 3 - 5 sets until you are ready for your first working set.

If you are brand spanking new, stick with 5 reps the whole way up - you need to practice. If you’re experienced, taper the warm ups - think 2 or 3 reps.

Warm ups should prepare you for your work sets. They should not interfere with it. If the final warm up set is too close - both in weight and in time - to the work set it will fatigue rather than warm…

- How I’d prepare for 140kg for 3 sets of 5… First thing in the morning, in Winter…

Empty [20kg] x5 x340kg x560kg x580kg x5100kg x5120kg x3140kg x5 x3

- How I’d prepare for 140kg for 3 sets of 5… In the Evening, in Summer…

Empty [20kg] x5 60kg x5100kg x5120kg x3140kg x5 x3

- How I’d prepare for 45kg for 3 sets of 5… I’m brand new, need the practice, and I’m a little stiff…

Empty [15kg] x5 x425kg x535kg x545kg x5 x3

- How I’d prepare for 100kg for 3 sets of 5… I’m a stiff, creaky, bitter old codger…

Empty [20kg] x5 x340kg x560kg x580kg x390kg x2100kg x5 x3

Make sense?

Good.

What Would You Add To CrossFit, If Anything?

A better question might be what would I take away, but we’ll roll with this one for now…

I would add… Time spent in nature.

Seriously.

Just like eating the same 10 or so foods cannot give you a healthy diet, performing the same 10 or so exercises cannot give you a healthy body.

The whole CrossFit “regularly learn and play new sports” is, I feel, inadequate.

The law of specificity dictates that you get better at what you do, and that you do not get better at the things you do not do… One type of movement creates loads and adaptations in only the tissues involved in that activity. If your movement repertoire is all performed on flat ground, or contains only squat, bench and deadlift, then guess what? The areas involved, and those areas alone get stronger, and in doing so the relative weakness of all the surrounding areas increases…

One quarter of the number of your muscles and joints can be found in your feet and ankles… ONE QUARTER! They are designed for constant variety, and what do they get? Flat floors all day every day, at the office, the gym floor, the pitch, court, supermarket, stairs, the car park…

I'm not even going to touch on the benefits of natural light, temperature variation, and fresh air.

Find an excuse to move through nature today. Give your body what it needs, because your foam roller can’t protect you forever…

“Sit the f*** down and have a beer…”

~ Coach Collins

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